


What we are pt 17

by AXEe



Series: What we are [17]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F, F/M, Gen, Not Canon Compliant, Project Cadmus
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-23
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-06 18:47:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 7,465
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14063154
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AXEe/pseuds/AXEe
Summary: Cadmus has a new plan in mind.   AU of "Exodus"





	1. Abducted

**Author's Note:**

> Here we are folks, Chapter One of Part SEVENTEEN of What we are! Enjoy! :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do  
To try and keep from calling you  
Well, can my dreams keep coming true?  
How can they? ‘Cause when I sleep  
I barely dream of you

As if the dream of you, it sleeps too  
But it never slips away  
It just gains its strength and digs its hooks  
To drag me through the day

\--Florence + the Machine: “Caught”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

“How many this time?” I asked as I stared at the crime scene photo splashed across the monitors in Command, a minivan found abandoned on the side of the road, key still in the ignition, doors open, luggage, cell phones and other personal belongings still inside. It was becoming a frighteningly familiar sight over the past month, ever since Cadmus got their slimly hands on the National Alien Registry.

“Three,” Astra answered “a family this time,” she added grimly “husband, wife, and their twelve year-old daughter. The car was found abandoned on the side of the road near the Coast City border. DVM registration matches one of the names on the NAR” she reported

“Damn it,” I swore “that’s the…what, third? Fourth…abduction this month”

“Fourth,” J’onn confirmed “Cadmus is using the NAR as a hit list to abduct aliens from all over the country. For what, we don’t know”

I sighed and glanced at Astra

“I don’t suppose Non’s contacted you?” I wondered

She shook her head

“No. I have seen him since we last saw each other in the forest last month,” she explained. She smirked “I trained him well. If he doesn’t want to be found, we _won’t_ find him until he _wants_ to be found” she declared

I sighed and raked a hand through my hair

“Damn it!” I hissed

“We _will_ find them, Alex,” J’onn assured me “we will”

“But _when_?” I wondered “and how many more will have to be abducted by Cadmus before we do?” I glanced at Astra, wondering if she was registered, she’d never said as such, and it wasn’t like it was the law now, the Alien Registry is voluntary, but strongly encouraged, and it would probably be a smart move on her part to register to keep the bigwig pencil-pushers in D.C. happy.

She seemed to sense what I was thinking, since she suddenly looked my way, smirking

“I’m not registered, Alex,” she said, shaking her head “in fact,” she added “according to the U.S. government, I don’t exist, I’m a nonentity”

“Neither has your sister,” J’onn added “or Alura or I for that matter,” he explained “so, we don’t have to worry about Cadmus trying to get their hands on us”

“At least not through the NAR, that is” Astra added

J’onn smirked

“At least not through the NAR” he nodded

I groaned

“Thanks. That makes me feel _so_ much better” I grumbled as I turned and left the room, heading for the gym so I could punch something…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

As I watched Alex leave the room, I felt J’onn’s eyes on me. Turning, I found him looking at me critically

“ _Are_ you registered?” he asked

“No,” I answered “I’m an anarchist, J’onn. I don’t trust governments” I reminded him

He smirked humorlessly

“Right now,” he sighed “anarchy seems to be what Cadmus is planning,” he scowled at the crime scene folders spread out across the operations table “if only we knew what Cadmus was planning on doing with the people they’re abducting” he snarled

“Nothing good, I’d imagine,” I muttered “and thank you”

He blinked and looked up

“For what?” he asked

“You said _‘the people that Cadmus is abducting’_ , not ‘aliens’,” I explained “usually you refer to even Kryptonians as aliens”

“Well, from my standards, you are” he pointed out

“But are we alien to one another after all this time?” I wondered

He chuckled, nodding

“Not in the least”


	2. Sleepless in National City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And I’m caught  
I forget all that I’ve been taught  
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still  
Pulled apart against my will

\--Florence + the Machine: “Caught”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

“Ahem,”

I cleared my throat as I lingered in the doorway to the DEO’s gym. Alex looked up, pausing in her apparent attempt to try and bludgeon the punching bag to death, instead opting to lean against it and pant for breath, sweat visibly dripping down her face as the bag still swung slightly. Normally I like seeing her so unkempt, so wild, I find it exciting, but not now. Now I merely worried for her

“You haven’t slept in nearly two days,” I said as I stepped into the room “were you under my command, I’d have probably had you on mandatory medical leave by now”

“Guess it’s a good thing I’m not under your command” she dismissed flippantly as she turned and resumed pummeling the bag

“What’s bothering you?” I asked “and, please, don’t insult my intelligence and say ‘nothing’, we both know that isn’t true”

She huffed out an angry breath as she hit the bag a final time

“What’s to stop Cadmus from eventually coming after Kara?” she asked “they already captured you and Alura once, what’s to stop them from trying again? They tried to turn Non into a puppet, whose to say that they’re not doing the same thing to all those aliens they’ve abducted over the last month?”

I sighed

“I don’t know,” I admitted “but what I do know that is you’re in no condition to help them all if you can barely stand upright without using that bag for support”

“I’m fine” she dismissed

“Really?” I pulled the bag away from her, watching as she yelped, arms waving wildly as she fell to the mat in an ungraceful heap of arms and legs “you were saying?”

She sat up and glowered at me, before biting her lip and scowling

“Fine!” she spat as she angrily surged to her feet and stalked towards the door “I’ll go take a nap. Happy?!”

I shook my head as I watched her march away. She’s pretty when she’s angry…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Kara**

I groaned as I dropped the pile of paperwork on the desk

“Anything?” James asked

“No,” I groaned as I buried my face in the pile “nothing. The FBI, the NCPD, nobody knows _anything_ about these abductions. Or if they _do_ know anything, they just don’t care because it’s _aliens_ being abducted, and not Humans”

“Hey,” I felt James’ hands on my shoulders “you’ll find something. You will”

“But _when_?” I demanded “and, in the meantime, who knows _what_ Cadmus is doing to them”

I felt his hands gently pull me upright and then he turned me around to face him

“Kara,” he began “you can’t save everyone”

I groaned

“I know, I know,” I sighed “but…if Clark and I weren’t here, then maybe…”

“…maybe Cadmus wouldn’t be so public about it,” James shook his head “as long as aliens keep coming here, there are going to be people who are afraid of them, whether they’re wearing a red cape or not”

I frowned

“Maybe that’s it” I realized…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“For the last time, Ker-ah, ‘no’!”

“But, Ms. Grant—” I tried as I followed her

“Do you have any proof that Cadmus is behind these abductions?”

“Yes”

She turned to face me

“Is that ‘official proof’ or ‘I-got-it-from-my-super-secret-aunt’ proof?”

I sighed. Ms. Grant nodded

“I’m not being cruel, Ker-ah,” she told me “but you cannot just…issue a warning in the magazine like a weather report, you need hard, concrete proof that Cadmus is responsible. Get that, and maybe, we’ll talk…”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I never knew how easy it was to sett up a blog. Since Ms. Grant wasn’t willing to help me, the DEO doesn’t officially exist (and besides they were busy trying to find the missing aliens), I decided to take matters into my own hands. I’d set up a blog and written an article, outlining everything that I could about the abductions by Cadmus without outing the DEO, and now all I needed to do was press ‘ENTER’ and post it to the web.

“Kara?” my door opened and Mom leaned in “I got your message, what’s wrong?”

“I need some advice” I sighed

“Certainly,” she nodded “what is it?”

I turned the computer to face her

“I’m trying to warn other aliens about what Cadmus is doing,” I explained “but…am I doing the right thing? I mean, what if all I’m doing is going to make people panic? Wha, what if by doing this I’ll only make Humans and aliens even more afraid of each other?”

“What do _you_ think?” Mom asked

“I don’t know!” I groaned

She frowned and sat down on the couch next to me

“Kara, I know that, recently, we haven’t been…as close as I’d like, and perhaps I’m partly to blame for that for not telling you about Lucy and Winn sooner,” she began “but…Kara, I will always, _always_ support you, no matter what. And so will Alex, and Astra and James,” she gestured to the laptop “now if you distribute this, I’ll support you. If you don’t, I’ll support you. You’re not a little girl anymore, no matter how much I wish you were, you don’t need me to hold your hand, to tell you what to do”

I stared at her, and then pulled her into a hug

“Thanks, Mom” I whispered into her shoulder

“Of course, my daughter,” she pulled back and smiled “so? What are you going to do?” she asked

I turned to the laptop, took a breath, and then before I could second-guess myself, hit ‘ENTER’, cringing as the computer chirped

“I did it!” I groaned “it’s out there”

Mom laughed

“I’m proud of you” she smiled…


	3. Taken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple update! :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It’s the hardest thing I’ve ever had to prove  
You turned to salt as I turned around to look at you  
Old friends have said, the books I’ve read  
Say it’s the thing to do

But it’s hard to see it  
When you’re in it  
‘Cause I went blind for you

\--Florence + the Machine: “Caught”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

I woke up feeling like I’d just gone a round with Astra in the training room without kryptonite. Groaning at every ache and stiff muscle, I pulled my sorry ass out of bed and staggered into the kitchen, finding Astra and Alura sitting at my kitchen island.

“What?” I asked when they both stared at me “what’s wrong?”

“It’s…about Kara” Astra began

“What about her?” I asked  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“She _what?!_ ” J’onn demanded

“Posted a blog warning every alien in the city about the abductions and who’s behind it” I groaned

“Unbelievable!” he exclaimed

“J’onn, she was only doing what she thought was right” I sighed

“But now she may have tipped our hand,” he warned “if Cadmus sees the blog—which they most likely will—they might decide to cut their losses and kill the abductees. Or even drop the pretense of abducting them one at a time”

We all looked up as Kara landed in the room

“What’s going on?” she asked suspiciously

“ _Karadanvers.com_?” J’onn asked

“OK, look,” Kara began “before you say anything…”

“Do you realize what you’ve just done?” J’onn demanded “Cadmus may now know that we’re aware of the connection between the stolen data and the abductions. There’s no telling what they’ll do now!”

“J’onn,” I held out a hand, stopping him mid-rant and approached Kara, leading her into a private corner “look, what you did was probably the right decision morally and ethically. But, that’s doesn’t mean that it was the smart the decision”

“Alex, I had to do _something_!” she exclaimed “I couldn’t just let Cadmus keep abducting aliens; they had a right to know, to be able to defend themselves”

“And what if ‘defending themselves’ means accidently killing a innocent person?” I challenged “fear does funny things to people, OK? Now every alien out who read your blog is going to look at every Human see with suspicion and fear. Damn it, Kara, we could have a race riot on our hands pretty soon”

“I just…” she trailed off

“We know,” Astra said as she and Alura came over “as the old saying goes, you made your bed, now you have lie in it too. Is what you did right? Probably. Is what you did dangerous? Yes”

Kara seemed to deflate, suddenly crumpling before our eyes

“Oh, Kara,” Alura gathered her up, holding her tight as a look of utter horror crossed Kara’s face “oh, my brave darling daughter…”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

“Will you stop staring at me?” I demanded of Winn

“Sorry, man,” he shrugged as he gathered our drinks from the rather sullen bartender, I miss having M’gann at the alien bar “but it’s just…Kara’s blog is going viral,” Winn exclaimed “everybody’s reading it, and a _lot_ of people, Humans and aliens, are getting scared”

“I know, I know,” I sighed. I nodded to where Alura and Lucy were sitting “how are they taking it?” I asked

“Lucy’s OK, you know her,” he began “and Alura…I don’t know, I think she’s putting on a brave face, you know? I think she’s scared”

“She shouldn’t be,” I sighed “no one should live in fear like this”

At that moment the ceiling suddenly exploded in, figures in paramilitary-style body armor holding automatic assault rifles suddenly repelling down from smoking hole in the concrete. Landing amidst the panicking crowd, they fired wildly into the ceiling, inciting more panic as they began to assault and restrain every alien they could find

Shoving Winn to the side, I turned to face one of the would be abductors, firing off a blast of heat vision, succeeding in hitting one in the face.

But as he fell back howling in pain, another threw a small grenade-like device at me. I had just enough time to recognize it as a flash-bang before it detonated in my face.

A perfect weapon to use against a Kryptonian I realized as I fell back against the bar, temporarily blinded and deafened, my head spinning as my vision blurred in and out.

Struggling to stand, I could only watch as two of the hostiles swiftly surrounded Lucy and Alura, one pistol-whipped Lucy on the head, leaving her laying on the floor dazed, while his companion swiftly shackled Alura with a pair of kryptonite handcuffs and began to drag her out the back.

My legs felt like Jell-o as I struggled to stand, watching as one of the hostiles approached me, a pair of kryptonite cuffs in one hand. A bright blue bolt of plasma suddenly struck him in the arm, sending him tumbling away.

Alex calmly marched through the room, her stolen Maaldorian plasma pistol held comfortably in her hand as she calmly shot every hostile could see. She paused by me, her lips moving. I couldn’t hear the words, but I could read her lips

 _I’ll get her_ she was saying. I weakly nodded as she charged out into the back alley…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

I charged out into the back alley behind the bar, seeing the attackers load Alura and a dozen other handcuffed alien into a waiting van. I raised my gun

“Freeze!” I ordered

“How ‘bout you freeze?” I tensed as I felt a gun being pressed to my back, right between my shoulder blades. Taking a breath, I lowered my gun “all right, boys, take off,” the gunman ordered the van “our girl’s going to stay right here,” as the van sped off, he circled around in front of me, taking my gun from me as he did “nice,” he commented as he examined it “think I’ll keep it,” he remarked as he aimed the gun at my head “relax, hon, this ain’t personnnnaalll!!!”

A black blur suddenly shot from the side, slamming him into the wall. Astra turned to face me

“Are you all right?” she asked

“Yeah,” I panted out “I’m good,” I retrieved my gun as I took a breath “they got away” I announced

“I know” she answered grimly, a look of pure murder on her face…


	4. So Long and Lost

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter FOUR! Enjoy! :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Then you leave my head  
Crawl out the bed  
Subconscious, I’m upset  
And for those hours  
Deep in the dark  
Perhaps you don’t exist

\--Florence + the Machine: “Caught”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

“Has he said anything?” I wondered as I stared at the image of our only lead to Cadmus as he sat in the holding cell

“Nothing,” J’onn answered with a shake of his head “he just…sits there. Hasn’t said a word since we put him in there”

“Who is he?” I wondered

“No idea,” J’onn shrugged “his fingerprints have actually been burned off, no match to his dental records. For all intents and purposes, he doesn’t exist”

I ground my teeth

“How’s Lucy?” I asked

“Recovering,” J’onn nodded “she’s got a mild concussion, but the doctors think that’ll clear up in a day or two,” he reported “how’s your sister?”

“Mad as hell,” I nodded as I watched as the door to the holding cell suddenly slid open, Astra marching in.

“Shit!” I swore…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Astra**

“Where are they?” I asked as I entered the holding cell. The prisoner remained silent as I circled him as he sat in the lone metal chair “where?” I asked

“I’m not saying a word without a lawyer”

Growling, I grabbed his arm and hurled him to the floor

“Do you think that you actually have rights?!” I demanded as he cowered on the floor

“They put something in my head!” he exclaimed “I talk! They know!”

“Where are they?!” I demanded as I picked him up and flung him the wall with ease “ _where?!?!?_ ”

“I don’t know!!”

“ _ **WHERE ARE THEY!?! WHERE IS CADMUS?!?!?!**_ ” I roared as I sent a blast of heat vision slicing against the wall, sending him cowering to the floor. Hands suddenly grabbed me under the arms, roughly pulling me back

“THAT’S _ENOUGH_ , ASTRA!!!” J’onn roared as he held me back

“She’s crazy!” the prisoner exclaimed

“You shut up!” J’onn ordered as he pushed me toward the door “you! Outside!” he ordered as he shoved me out into the hall where Alex silently waited “he can’t tell us anything if he’s _dead_!” J’onn exclaimed

“I would have stopped!” I panted out

“Would you?” he challenged. He sighed and rubbed tiredly at his forehead “I can’t trust you to be objective right now,” he sighed “as of right now you’re suspended from active duty, effective immediately” he declared

I’ve never been one for begging, I have too much dignity, but right then, as I looked between him and Alex seeing only silent agreement, I broke down

“J’onn,” I began “they have my sister. _Please_ …don’t do this”

He shook his head

“I can make it an order, if it comes to that,” he warned “but right now, I’m _asking_ you. Not as your superior officer, not even as your friend, but as the man who’s grown to see you as a daughter. Stop”

I swallowed, at once awed that he saw me that way and angered at his decision, even though I knew that it was the right. Swallowing my pride I weakly nodded

“All right” I breathed. He frowned, studying me before finally nodding

“All right” he repeated, nodding softly as he quietly turned and left, leaving me and Alex alone

“You know that he’s right” Alex spoke softly. I turned to her, ready to tear into her for not defending me, for not agreeing with me, but the words died in my throat as I looked at her, knowing that it would be unfair to her to make her choose sides, to make her choose between her lover and the man who was for all intents and purposes her father.

“I know,” I nodded weakly “and I understand his reasoning. But…that doesn’t mean I have to _like_ it”

“No,” she sighed, tiredly running a hand through her hair “it doesn’t”

“How’s Kara?” I asked

“Upset,” Alex nodded “she’s out scouring the city for any signs of Cadmus. So far, nothing”

“She won’t find them,” I declared “Cadmus is too smart for that” I sighed as my cell phone chirped. Pulling it out, I found a text message from an unlisted number

“What is it?” Alex asked

“I’m not sure” I admitted as I held out the phone to her, showing the message

“GPS coordinates?” she asked as she studied the small screen

“That’s what it looks like” I nodded as another text lit up the screen, what appeared to be a string of random letters

“Maybe it’s a glitch?” Alex shrugged “marketing ploy?”

“Wait,” I frowned at the second text, noticing how some of the letter arrangements looked very similar “ _the chain is only as strong as the links that bind it_ ” I breathed

“What?”

“It’s a proverb from Krypton,” I pointed to the text “ _the chain is only as strong as the links that bind it_ ,” I read “it was eventually shortened to… _‘stronger together’_ ”

Alex and I looked between the text and each other

“Non!” we both realized…


	5. Mass Exodus

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double update! Chapter FIVE! Enjoy, 'cause we're almost at the end here folks! :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And I was thrashing on the line  
Somewhere between desperate and divine  
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still  
Persephone will have her fill

\--Florence + the Machine: “Caught”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

The GPS coordinates led to the old U.S. Navy training depot on the coast. It had been closed down for more than a decade, a few years ago Lord Technologies bought it from the government, but never got around to doing anything with the property by the time Max was arrested and Lord Tech liquidated. After that LuthorCorp—now calling themselves ‘L-Corp’ bought some Lord’s properties, including the depot, but they hadn’t done anything with it either.

Which begged the obvious question of why there was an entire private army standing guard over the place.

Keeping as quiet as possible, I slipped through an air vent and emerged onto a catwalk over looking a massive hanger of some kind, people, trucks, jeeps, and heavy-lifting equipment all buzzed around. What I was doing was completely unauthorized and unsanctioned, J’onn didn’t even know about the text from Non, much less what it said and where I was.

If I was lucky, I could only get fired. If I was slightly unlucky, it’d mean jail time. If my luck ran out, I might never make it out of here alive. Logically I should have told J’onn about the text, but I couldn’t bear the thought of Kara loosing her mother while we sat around waiting for ‘authorization’. So, I took matters into my own hands.

Looking around the room, I tried to see if I could spot any of the abductees, but wherever they were, it wasn’t here. I jumped as an alarm suddenly buzzed, blaring out

“ _Final boarding in progress_ ” the PA announced. I wasn’t sure what they meant by ‘boarding’, but I wasn’t going to sit around to find out. Standing up, I turned the corner, coming face-to-face with a Cadmus goon.

For a second we both stared at each other, then I decked him across the jaw. He fell back, groaning and shouting for help. Realizing that I’d overstayed my welcome, I turned and sprinted back down the catwalk as alarms started screaming and guards poured out of the woodwork, all charging for me.

Ducking under one, I rammed my shoulder into his chest, throwing him up and over my back to land in a sprawl behind me as I charged forward, leaping down a rickety metal staircase, awkwardly sliding down the banister to land on top of four guards standing below

“Hold her!” one yelled as they dog piled on me, pinning me down to the floor

“Danvers!”

The guards hauled me to my feet and held me still as Hank Henshaw—the real one—marched over

“I knew I should have killed you when I had the chance!” he growled…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A few minutes later and I was being led into what appeared to be a makeshift control center set up in one corner of the building

“Agent Danvers,” Lillian Luthor turned “we really must stop meeting like this”

“Hi, Lillian,” I smirked “how’s the nose? Still broken I hope?”

She smirked

“Cute,” she remarked “actually, you’re just in time”

“For what?” I scoffed “to you see execute more innocents?”

She smirked

“Actually, I think you might like this plan,” she remarked “we’re not killing anyone. No, just sending them away,” she nodded to one of the monitors set up nearby, the schematics of what looked like an alien ship “it’s a Hos’nak freighter,” she explained “capable of traveling five times the speed of light. It’ll take them as far a Sha Ke re. From there they can find safe passage back to their home worlds”

“That’s your plan?” I asked skeptically “first your try to kill every alien on Earth and now you decide to deport them? I don’t buy it”

“Being in prison has a curative effect,” Lillian smirked

“Hmm,” Henshaw scoffed “at least it gets rid of them” he spat

“You know that these aliens came here fleeing political oppression?” I began “disease? Even genocide? You send them back they’ll probably die anyway”

“Not my concern” Lillian shrugged as another alarm blared out

“ _Boarding complete. Launch in t-minus thirty seconds_ ”

Three explosions suddenly shook the entire the complex, fires breaking out as people panicked. I used the distraction to wrench my arm free from Henshaw’s grip and steal back my gun as I held up the detonator

“Thanagarian thermal charges,” I explained “there are twelve more planted throughout this complex. it’s a dead man’s switch. I drop this stick and half this place goes up in flames”

Lillian smirked as the PA continued counting down

“You can’t stop the launch, its automated,” she explained “even I can’t stop it now. The only way to stop the launch is to drop that stick,” she chuckled “you’re foolhardy, Alex, but not stupid. Not even you would risk your life like that”

I looked her square in the eye

“Wrong” I breathed as I dropped the stick. Instantly twelve more explosions set off, shaking the entire building down to its foundation as people panicked and ran for safely. Knocking away the two guards still holding me, I turned towards the hanger doors, only for something to suddenly catch my feet and pull me down to the ground

“No more games, little girl!” Henshaw snarled as he loomed over me. I swung back a leg and tried to kick him in the head, but he easily caught my leg and twisted it, forcing me roll onto my stomach, allowing him to grab a fistful of my hair and painfully yank my head back as he literally picked me up off the floor by my hair “time for you to die!” he hissed as he flung me across the room.

His cybernetic eye suddenly began glowing, a bright blue laser-like light suddenly shot out from, narrowly missing my head by inches, leaving a smoking hole in the steel wall behind me

“You’ve got to be kidding me!” I panted out as I struggled to find my gun even as Henshaw pinned me to the floor with a boot to my back

“I’m going to _savor_ this for a long time!” he hissed…


	6. For the Honor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Triple update! Only one more to go, enjoy! :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And I’m caught  
I forgot all that I’ve been taught  
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still  
Pulled apart against my will

\--Florence + the Machine: “Caught”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

I wriggled even as Henshaw flipped me over onto my back and, grabbing me by the throat, began to _slowly_ lift me up off the floor. I kicked and thrashed, scratching my fingers across his arm as I struggled for air, while Henshaw just chuckled, the bastard actually _enjoying_ seeing me suffer. Sadist.

He suddenly jerked, his back arching as a piece of steel rebar suddenly burst through his chest. Dropping me, he jerked and gagged as the rebar was violently _twisted_ and then pulled back as he collapsed.

Choking and gagging for air as the building kept burning all around me, I looked up as a pair of legs stopped in front of me, expecting to see Astra, or J’onn, or Alura, or even Kara or Superman. But it wasn’t any of them.

Just Non as he stood over me, the bloody piece of rebar still held in one hand. Calmly throwing it away, he offered me a hand.

Still shaking from the lack of air, I took it and allowed him to pull me upright

“We must hurry” he said as he half-shoved, half-carried out of the hanger and onto the tarmac outside, towards the waiting ship. With Non half throwing me, we made it up the ramp as the ship took off, I felt my stomach lurch as it began to taxi off the improvised runway.

“Thanks” I panted out as I leaned against the wall while Non opened a door in front of us

“Inside” he ordered, and I got the impression that he wasn’t the warm and fuzzy type even when sane.

“What the hell?” I breathed as we crossed the threshold, finding ourselves in a large….I guess cargo bay would be the only way to describe it. Airplane-style seats had been bolted to the floor while the dozens of abducted aliens were all strapped to them, apparently sedated. As I hurried after Non, I saw that all of them was wearing some kind of body armor and carried what looked like a rifle

“What is this?” I demanded

“Cadmus’ ‘solution’ to alien immigration,” Non grunted out as he took a sharp right down a side aisle “the ship will never leave the atmosphere, instead it will crash into the city center,” he explained as he crouched down to a sedated Alura, dressed the same as the others, and examined her “once your government finds the wreckage…”

“…they’ll find evidence of weapons and body armor,” I finished “and assume that it was invasion gone wrong”

“Yes,” Non nodded as he took a syringe-like device out of his pocket and pressed it to Alura’s neck. She took a sharp breath and blinked awake, looking around confused, grunting in surprise as she saw Non “be easy” he warned as he gestured towards me.

Alura blinked and looked between the two of us

“Interesting rescue” she commented

“I don’t have time to explain,” I panted out as I struggled to un-strap her “we’re on a ship and its on a collision course with the city center,” I finally got the last strap free and she awkwardly stood up, wobbling slightly “can you free everybody else in here?”

She nodded

“Yes”

I nodded back

“OK,” I turned to Non “we need to stop this thing”

“This way”

He led me further into the ship, down a short, narrow corridor into a small cockpit-like room. The room was about the size of the cockpits you see on jetliners, with only two, awkwardly-shaped seats and wide curved window

“I don’t suppose you know how to fly this thing?” I asked as I looked between the alien controls and Non

“No”

“Of course not,” I muttered as I pulled out my phone and hit Winn’s speed dial “Winn!”

“ _Hey, Alex, can’t talk right now,_ ” he said hurriedly “ _we’ve got an unscheduled launch_ ”

“I know, I’m it” I explained

“ _What now?_ ”

“I’m the launch,” I explained “look, I don’t have time to explain, but I’m with Non, Cadmus is going to crash the ship into the city with all the abductees on board”

“ _Got it,_ ” Winn said “ _I just need to hack in_

“OK, it’s a Hos’nak freighter, how do to stop it?” I asked as an alarm blared out

“ _Thirty kilometers until main engine ignition_ ” the computer reported

“ _Uh…OK! Got it!_ ” Winn exclaimed “ _uh, there should be a red toggle switch on the center console,_ ” he explained “ _slide it all the way to the right_ ”

“Done” Non announced as he found and slide the toggle all the way to the right

“Winn?” I asked “nothing’s happening”

“ _Ugh! Come on!_ ” he snarled “ _OK, hang on! Hang on!_ ”

“ _Alert,_ ” the computer announced “ _inbound objects_ ”

“ _OK!_ ” Kara suddenly called out over my comm. “ _we’re here!_ ” she said as the lights suddenly flashed green

“What was that?” I asked

“Countermeasures!” Non snarled out

“Kara!” I warned as the sky in front of the ship suddenly lit up explosions. Two blasts of heat vision suddenly sliced across the empty air and the ship suddenly shuddered

“ _We’re all right,_ ” Astra panted out “ _more or less,_ ” she muttered “ _Winn, focus on disabling the autopilot,_ ” she ordered “ _Alex? You and Non try to jettison the cargo bay_ ”

“Wait, jettison it?” I asked

“ _The cargo bay is self-contained,_ ” she explained “ _its all one piece. If need be, Kara and I can carry it to safety_ ”

“Got it” I nodded as Non’s fingers began flying across the controls

“ _Alert! Cargo bay will jettison in forty-five seconds_ ” the computer announced

“ _OK! OK!_ ” Winn suddenly called out “ _I got it! The autopilot’s off!_ ” he announced as another alarm rang out “ _OK, we’re contacting the Air Force to guide you in_ ” he explained

“Got it,” I sighed “thanks, Winn,” I had just hung up as another alarm rang out, information began scrolling down the surface of the window, alien symbols I couldn’t decipher “now what?” I wondered

“The engine core is still primed to overload,” Non explained as he worked the controls “I’m reestablishing the auto navigation to take the ship into orbit prior to detonation”

“ _Invalid command. Auto-navigation has been disabled. Manual operation only_ ” the computer announced.

“Well, so much for that plan” I sighed

Non scowled and slowly turned to me

“Go” he ordered.

I stared at him, realizing that he was planning on staying behind to fly the ship clear

“You’ll die” I pointed out

“I’ve been dead before,” he dismissed “go” he repeated

“No,” I shook my head “there has to be another way! Something!”

He chuckled

“I see why Astra fell in love with you,” he remarked softly “even now, after all I’ve done, you still believe that even _I_ am worth saving,” he shook his head “the first time, I died as a monster. This time…,” he trailed off as he turned to face me “the motto of the House of Ur is _‘die with honor’_ ,” he explained “permit me that. Please” he requested

I nodded slowly

“I’m sorry” I said softly

He nodded

“As am I,” he smirked “I’d like to think, that in another life, you and I could have been…friends”

“So would I,” I admitted “die with honor, Son of Ur” I whispered

He nodded

“Die with honor, Alexandra Danvers” he replied.

Then, I ran out of the cockpit…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I managed to reach the cargo bay just as it was sealed off from the rest of ship. People, most of them still groggy from whatever drugs that Cadmus used on them, were now starting to panic

“Alex!” Alura fought her way through the crowd “what’s happening?” she demanded

“ _Danger! Cargo jettisoning! Danger! Cargo jettisoning!_ ” the computer suddenly announced

“Astra!” I bellowed into my comm. “get ready to catch!” I warned as the entire cargo bay suddenly _dropped_ “everybody hold on!” I yelled as people were tossed around like pin balls. There was a sudden _jerk_ and then the entire thing was falling slower, gentler

“ _We got you! Just hang on!_ ” Kara called out over my comm. as the cargo bay shuddered and then stopped. There was a shriek of tearing metal as part of the ceiling was torn open, Kara dropping down

“You’re OK!” she called out “you’re safe!” she added as she hurried over to me and Alura “Mom!” she whispered as she and Alura pulled each other into a firm hug as the door opened, a full DEO team entering

“Department of Extra-normal Operations,” J’onn announced “everybody keep calm, we’re not here to hurt you!”

“Alex!”

I turned, sighing in relief as Astra rushed up to me and pulled me into a firm hug

“Don’t you _ever_ do that again!” she growled out “you could’ve been killed!” she paused, frowning “where’s Non?” she asked

“I’m sorry” I shook my head

“Alex?” she asked, looking panicked “Alex! What have you done?!” she demanded, suddenly turning and sprinting back out onto the tarmac

“Astra! Wait!” I hurried out after her, watching as she stopped and stared up at the sky. From this distance, the ship only looked like a tiny pinprick of light, rapidly getting smaller and smaller.

As we watched, Alura, Kara, and J’onn came up behind us and merely stood there with us, watching. Suddenly the tiny pinprick flared into a brilliant, blinding burst of light, followed by a deep, thunder-like rumble.

As my eyes cleared, I looked down, noticing that there was a text message from the same number that Non had used when he contacted Astra. Opening the text, I found a simple, one word message

****

**Goodbye**

I looked up at Astra, silently holding out the phone for her to see

“ _Oh…Astra_ ” Alura quietly breathed as tears silently rolled down Astra’s face…


	7. The Parting Glass

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter SEVEN of SEVEN! Here we are, folks, the end of Part Seventeen of What we are! Enjoy! :=)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

And I was thrashing on the line  
Somewhere between desperate and divine  
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still  
Persephone will have her fill

And I’m caught  
I forget all that I’ve been taught  
I can’t keep calm, I can’t keep still  
Pulled apart against my will

\--Florence + the Machine: “Caught”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Kara**

I crept into Ms. Grant’s office, trying to take my time. Being called into her office was fine, normal even when I still her assistant. Now that I’m a reporter? Not so much.

As I came in, Ms. Grant was typing away at her laptop, head down, eyes focused on the screen. Sitting next to her on the desk was a cardboard box, I could see a few items I recognized as the stuff I had on my desk peeking out from the top

“You’re firing me” I realized

“ _Of course_ I’m firing you,” Ms. Grant scoffed as she finally looked up at me “forget breach of contract, forget misappropriation of company property, you broke one of the first rules of being a reporter: do _not_ let your emotions interfere with your objectivity as well as my violating my trust,” she slid the box towards me “be grateful that I don’t try and blacklist you” she spat.

Sighing, I gathered the box up and turned to leave

“Kara,”

I paused as Ms. Grant called me back. Turning I saw her sigh and take off her glasses

“Off the record,” she began “what you did took a lot of courage. I’m proud of you,” she leaned back in her chair, sighing “and maybe—just _maybe_ , once all of… _this_ ,” she waved a hand “…has died down…I might find another job for you,”

She leaned forward again, hunching over her laptop again

“Now get out before I call security”  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

It was lightly drizzling outside when James knocked on my door.

“Hey,” he said softly “I heard. How’re you doing?” he asked as he came in

“I don’t know,” I shrugged as I looked back toward the window “I mean, that job, that place…was my life”

“I know,” I heard the floorboards creak as he came over behind me, his reflection appearing in the window “Kara…why didn’t you tell me what you were doing?” he asked

“Because, you would have tried to stop me”

“No,” he shook his head as he came around and pulled me into a hug “I would have helped you, you know that,”

I sniffled into his shirt, mad and sad at the same time. Mad at myself for being so stupid, and sad because I was mad.

I felt James press a kiss to my forehead. Pulling back I looked up at him as he smiled at me

“Alex just called me,” he said “she and the others are all at the alien trying to cheer Astra up”

“Oh god…,” I groaned “Astra. How did I forget that?” I stood up “come on, let’s go. She shouldn’t be alone right now” I decided…  
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Alex**

“ _…in related news, U.S. government officials have just announced that the anti-alien group known as ‘Cadmus’ just attempted to forcibly deport dozens of alien refugees. It was only the timely intervention of Supergirl that the attempted abduction was stopped and the refugees set free. In other news—_ ”

“Is that all we are?” Astra wondered as she sipped her Adbrean whiskey “a footnote in the news?”

“That’s the way the government prefers it,” I shrugged “look,” I began “I know this’ll sound odd coming from me of all people but…I’m sorry it had to end this way”

She nodded shakily, taking my hand as Winn came back to the table with everyone else’s drinks. It should have been a celebration; we should have all been trying to drink each other under the table, but, right now, clearly no one felt like celebrating as we all nursed our drinks in almost complete silence. Non’s death had hit us all hard, because—unlike Astra—he’d been denied his own chance at redemption, and we all knew who to blame.

J’onn suddenly cleared his throat

“I’d like to make a toast,” he announced as he stood up “to Non, of the House of Ur. May he rest in peace”

“May he rest in peace” we all chorused as we clinked our glasses together

“Thank you, J’onn” Astra nodded softly as she sipped her drink

“You know,” Lucy began “never thought I’d hear myself say this but…I’m really, really angry that Non’s dead”

“We all are,” Alura nodded “he had a chance at redemption, of earning a place in Rao’s Light, and he had it taken away from him by Cadmus”

“No,” Astra shook her head “he’s earned his place” she declared quietly

Silence fell on the table once again

“Hey, Alex?” Kara asked “how did that song go? The one Jeremiah liked to sing?”

I smiled as I remembered

“ _Of all the money that e’er I had, I spent it in good company_ ” I quietly sang. I can’t sing, not really anyway, I can carry a tune, but I won’t opening on Broadway anytime soon

“ _…and all the harm that I’ve ever done,_ ” Lucy suddenly picked up “ _alas it was to none but me_ ”

“ _And all I’ve done for want of wit,_ ” J’onn suddenly rumbled out in a deep, soothing baritone “ _to mem’ry now I can’t recall_ ”

“ _So fill to me the parting glass,_ ” James finished “ _good night and joy be to you all_ ”

“Yeah,” Kara chuckled “that was it. How did the rest go?”

“ _So fill to me the parting glass,_ ” Winn suddenly picked up “ _and drink a health whate’er befalls…_ ”

“ _…and gently rise and softly call,_ ” I picked up “ _good night and joy be to you all_ ”

“ _Of all the comrades that e’er I had,_ ” Astra suddenly sang out in a bright, clear voice “ _they’re sorry for my going away, and all the sweethearts that e’er I had, they’d wish me one more day to stay_ ”

“ _But since it fell unto my lot,_ ” I picked up “ _that I should rise, and you should not, I’ll gently rise and softly call, good night and joy be to you all_ ”

“ _Fill to me the parting glass,_ ” we all sung out together “ _and drink a health whate’er befalls, and gently rise and softly call, good night and joy be to you all,_ ”

We all looked at each other, smirking as some strange, silent agreement passed between all of us

“ _But since it fell unto my lot,_ ” we all sang out “ _that I should rise and you should not, I’ll gently rise and softly call, good night and joy be to you all_ ”

“Girls only!” Winn suddenly cheered, pointing between myself, Kara, Astra, Lucy, and Alura. Grinning at each other, we indulged him

“ _Fill to me the parting glass_  
And drink a health whate’er befalls  
And gently rise and softly call  
Good night and joy be to you all”

We all grinned like idiots as we all finally lost it, bursting out laughing in each others faces

“Oh man! What’s in this booze?” Lucy laughed

“Just booze!” Winn laughed as he leaned against her and Alura.

I looked at Astra, she smiled softly at me. She wasn’t all right, far from it, but she would be as long as she had me, had us, this odd little group of people that had somehow, somewhere, someway become a family.

And that was all that mattered…

**END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it! Hope everybody enjoyed it :=), up next: Part Eighteen, AU of "Ace Reporter"! :=)


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